3M Design Strategy

Overview

Current technology has allowed 3M to also embrace digital experiences and improve the connectedness of their users and stakeholders within each business context. 3M embraces ecosystem thinking as a means for both understanding their customers, as well as thinking about how to design connected solutions that meet the needs of their end users. For this project, my team and I were tasked to design a concept compatible with the current 3M mobile app to grow the ecosystem of 3M’s air purification system.

The Challenge

The challenge was to provide a more consistent form of healthy air for families in China’s urban population. With this information, my team and I designed a multi-touchpoint strategy to grow the ecosystem of 3M air purification products across a wide variety of user bases.

My Role

On this project I was responsible for conducing a deep dive into the air pollution levels of densely populated areas throughout China. Additionally, I was tasked to create a low fidelity wireframe of an affective air quality communication feature to be added to the 3M application.

Methodology

User Journey Map

We created a User Journey Map to visualize the process of a consumer of smart air products. This allowed us to conceptualize our approach to this problem space and identify our hypothesis of potential pain points for the user.

Research Findings and Results

China’s population has been dealing with poor to dangerous air quality for some time now. The Chinese urbanizing infrastructure and constant use of fossil fuels produces nearly 7% of the worlds air pollution. With 3M’s global reach into hundreds of thousands of industries, they are poised to be able to provide an ecosystem of healthy air filtration systems to the people of China. Having consistent access to clean air and water is becoming more and more of a luxury. However, through 3M’s mobile app interface, we are able to educate and promote the necessity of a functional and well kept air filtration system. The main urbanized cities in China often have worse air indoors than the air outdoors. This problem is caused by lack of care for their existing air filtration system. The varying filters and air filtration systems are often overlooked or forgotten about.

Through our 3M mobile app research, we found that the people of China would benefit from a streamlined experience with WeChat. This mega app is comprised of nearly one million mini applications. WeChat is used globally, but, in China, they are forced to enter all of their personal data into the WeChat interface. This allows for very accessible information for spreading the word to relatives and friends about products and services that they have purchased. There is a window of opportunity for 3M to pair up with WeChat for the shipping and social rating aspects of WeChat. In doing this, 3M would further their reach into the “smart” culture of in home filtration technology.